Preview: E.ON Nottingham Grand Prix

Nottingham’s brand new festival of cycling, E.ON Cycle Live Nottingham will kick off with a bang next month as organisers prepare for a high speed opening night filled with a series of exhilarating and adrenalin fuelled races.

E.ON Cycle Live Nottingham will start with the E.ON Nottingham Grand Prix on Friday 13 July. The brand new event will see competitive races on a closed circuit around the streets of Nottingham, where participants will race against each other and the clock.

The weekend will commence with the Sport Nottinghamshire Schools Challenge, which is free to enter for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire schools. The challenge, which is set to take place on Friday afternoon will consist of age group racing for years 7 to 11 around a half mile circuit on Nottingham's Victoria Embankment. It will provide the opportunity for junior riders to feel like an elite cyclist, from those that simply fancy having a go through to the more experienced cyclists.

There will be an opportunity for students that come along to spectate and support their schoolmates to get involved in other cycling activities too, including skills and technique coaching and off road bike demos. There will also be some hybrid bikes available for those who need to borrow one for the races, courtesy of British Cycling.

The Sport Nottinghamshire Schools Challenge will form the prelude to an evening of exciting adult races, from a fun Raleigh Chopper Challenge and a folding bike race, right through to an elite rider face-off.

First up will be the Nottingham Building Society Corporate Relay Race which will see Nottingham and Nottinghamshire business people swap their suits for lycra to form part of a team of five to battle it out during a 60 minute relay challenge around a 1 mile circuit. Teams entering the relay race will get six limited edition cycling jerseys tailored to their own business design by technical provider Godfrey Sports, as well as food and drinks provided by Nottingham’s Riverbank Bar & Kitchen. They will then be able to get comfortable and take prime position with colleagues to enjoy the rest of the evening’s entertainment.

Next up will be the Raleigh Chopper Challenge. This free nostalgic race will offer lovers of the famous 1970’s Raleigh Chopper the chance to dust off their very own piece of cycling history to take part in a battle of iconic bikes. Thanks to Raleigh, there will be a limited number of Raleigh Chopper bikes available to loan, so those without a Chopper can still join in.

The evening’s light hearted activity won’t stop there, with the event also featuring a folding bike race supported by Leigh Day Solicitors around the E.ON Nottingham Grand Prix circuit, offering an entertaining slant on the usual Friday evening commute.

The event will draw to a close with some serious cycling from regional and national club cyclists and elite riders in the Regional B Category Race, supported by Sport Nottinghamshire and the National B Category Race for elite riders.

Chris Simon, Director of event organisers, Perfect Motion said: “60 minutes of adrenalin fuelled racing over the fast, one mile E.ON Nottingham Grand Prix circuit will not only keep the riders on the edge of their seats, but also those that come down to watch”.

The 50 minute regional race is open to British Cycling members with a category 3 or 4 licence and is expected to be ridden at pace with long, flat straights, fast corners and a U-bend, all of which will make this an exciting race to ride or watch.

The National B Category Race will be the finale event of the evening. The feature race is set to draw in a crowd, as the first of its kind to hit the Embankment. Team Raleigh are expected to lead the field out with riders from their elite team due to battle it out for poll position on the podium. Made up of elite, category 1 and 2 riders, the race is open to all British Cycling licence holders.

Chris added: “The E.ON Nottingham Grand Prix will set the tone for the weekend ahead, as we prepare to celebrate cycling in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire like never before. The beauty of the Friday night is that there really is something for everyone, from fun races to a team challenge, right through to the more serious cycling to finish the evening off. Thanks to our partners and sponsors, we have been able to put on some of these races completely free of charge but I would urge people to sign up quickly as spaces into all the Friday night events are limited”.

“For those who don’t want to take part, the races will still provide plenty of entertainment and street races, particularly at night are a brilliant thing to watch. We want the people of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to make a night of it and join us on Nottingham’s Embankment to get into the spirit of the weekend ahead and watch the evening’s races.”

There will be prize money for the top three finishers in the Regional and National Category B Races, as well as a limited edition podium jersey for the winner in both events.

The E.ON Nottingham Grand Prix will be the introductory evening for a weekend of cycling filled activity: E.ON Cycle Live Nottingham, taking place between Friday 13 and Sunday 15 July from Nottingham’s Victoria Embankment, next to the River Trent.